Construction for sleeved garment



June 3, 1958 H. s. GEISS 2,336,326

CONSTRUCTIQN FOR SLEEVED GARMENT Filed March 16, 1956 2,836,826 CONSTRUCTION FOR SLEEVED GARMENT Harry S. Geiss, New York, N. Y. Application March 16, 1956, Serial No. 571,959 1 Claim. (Cl. 2-125) My invention relates to improvements in sleeved garments and more particularly to a garment construction in which the sleeve is attached to the body of the garment in such a way as to permit unrestricted relative movement of the arms and body of the wearer without appreciable pull on either the body or sleeve of the garment. The invention is applicable to various types of garments for either sport or regular wear, including shirts, pajamas, jackets, blouses, dresses and other sleeved garments.

Variousproposals have been made for providing free arm movement in garment structures, but for the most part, these proposals relate to the provision of an insert or gusset at the armpit of the garment intended to give increased freedom of movement over sleeved garments constructed in the ordinary manner. Such proposals-are illustrated, for example, by the disclosure of the patent to Lee No. 2,314,226.

While the prior proposals may provide some arm freedom with underarm inserts, as far as known, the sleeves are attached directly to the'body of the garment over all of the perimeter of the armhole of the garment, except for the underarm portion where the insert is provided. Therefore, in at least some cases, an added strain is-created along the joint or seam between the sleeve proper and the body portion of the garment in which the armhole is provided; This 'isparticularlyrtrue in the areas adjacent the points where the sleeve proper is attached directly to the body of the garment at the edge of the insert.

The primary object, therefore, of my invention is to provide a sleeved garment construction in which there is unlimited freedom of movement between the sleeve and the body of the garment.

V A further object of'the invention is to provide a sleeved garment construction which avoids the difficulties encountered in connection with previous proposals and which contains no point of stress between the sleeve and the body of the garment.

Accordingly, my invention comprises in general a sleeved garment structure in which the sleeves and body of the garment are joined together by a coupling band of fabric stretchable in all directions. This coupling band is advantageously a specially woven knitted type fabric adapted to stretch in any direction in response to a substantially etfortless pull in that direction and to recover its normal condition when free of any unequally applied stress or pull.

In a preferred construction the coupling band has a substantially uniform width along the front, top and back of the armhole or sleeve attachment section of the garment and advantageously includes two elongated substantially V-shaped or U-shaped sections respectively projecting from its inner and outer edges adapted to be secured respectively in the armpit section of the sleeve and body of the garment provided with correspondingly shaped underarm openings or cut-outs. The coupling tates Patent band may include either one or both of the projecting sections.

A sleeved garment including the stretchable coupling fabric, joining the sleeve and body of the garment, permits unrestricted movement of the 'wearers arms in any direction without applying any stress whatever to the wearer or to the body or sleeve of the garment. The coupling band gives freedom all around the shoulder. At the top, for example, there is no down-pull on the yoke When the wearer reaches down, as in bowling. Furthermore, the garment will not ride up or pull out of skirts, slacks or trousers, when arms are raised. This type'of construction is particularly important for garments used in many sports and in many occupations.

The improved garment construction of the present invention includes other features and advantages described more in detail hereinafter in connection with theiaccompanying drawings illustrating one embodiment of the in vention and forming a part of this application.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a broken view, partly in section and partly to one side, of a shirt constructed in accordance with the invention illustrating the relationship between the sleeve, fabric coupling ring and body portion of the shirt;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged broken sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged broken elevational view looking toward the underarm portion of the shirt of Fig. 1 from the side, showing the coupling fabric stretched vertically;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to that of Fig. 3 showing the coupling fabric expanded or stretched laterally; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailed view of the fabric couplin ring shown in Fig. 1 looking toward the edge to be stitched to the attachment edge or edges of the sleeve.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawing, the shirt shown therein is constructed of suitable shirting material, such as broadcloth, and is made substantially on a standard shirt pattern, except for the armhole or shoulder structure. The shirt, as shown, comprises front sections 10 attached respectively to opposite sides of a back section 12 by underarm seams, one of which is shown at 14, and by the usual shoulder seams, and yoke 15. The shirt may or may not have the pocket illustrated and may have a collar of different style than that shown, or have no collar at all. The shirt shown in Fig. 1 includes onepiece sleeves 16 (only one being shown), having an underarm seam 18, the upper portion only of which is shown in the drawings. The sleeve 16 may be two-piece or more. The sleeve 16 is joined to the body'of the garment-by means of a coupling member 25 of a fabric adapted to stretch in all directions and shown in Fig. 1 in substantially unstret-ched condition. The coupling member 2 is generally ring shaped, as shown in Fig. 5, the opposite edges 22 and 24 of which are respectively attached to the attachment edge or edges of the sleeve 16 and to the attachment edge or edges of the armhole provided by the front and back sections 14) and 12 and the yoke 15 of the shirt. These attachments are formed respectively by seams 26 and 28.

The body of the shirt as shown in Fig. 1 is provided with a V-shaped armpit cut-out extending substantially below the underarm portion of the shirt and terminating at the upper end of the seam 16. The sleeve includes a similar cut-out in the underarm portion extending to the inner end of the seam 18. in a similar manner the fabric coupling member 20 includes generally V-shaped oppositely-arranged extensions or tabs 3! and 31 extending respectively into and fitting in the V-shaped cut-outs or openings in the body and sleeve of the garment. The extension or projecting section 3%? is attached to the front and back sections iii and 12 by seams 32 and 33,

Patented June 3, 1958 which extend from the'upper end of the seam 14 and i merge into and comprise portions of the seam 28. The

projecting section 31, substantially: opposite the section 30 is attached in the cut-out of the underarm portion of the sleeve 16 by seams 34 and 35, which continue nan seam 18 and merge into and comprise portions of seam 26. The extensions =30 and 31 may have a rounded i or square (U shaped lower end V the garment is generally the same as that 'of the front.

Fig. 3 of the drawings shows the coupling member 20 with its extensions 30and 31 in'somewhat vertically elongated'pos'itionlwhile Fig. 4 shows the section 30 of the coupling member in extended or stretched position, as a result of tension applied to the body portions 10 and 12 in the direction of the arrows 36 and 38. Doubleheaded arrows 40 and 42 are applied over the fabric of the coupling member in Figs. 3 and 4 to indicate that the material is stretchable in all directions and adapted to recover to its normal unstretched condition.

' Fig. illustrates thefact'that the fabric coupling member forms acomplete ring at the armholeor shoulder section of the garment. Fig. 5 shows the coupling member before being sewn into the shirt, but in a shape generally approximating that assumed when the shirt is being worn with the possible exception of the section 31, shown extending into the ring. The "coupling members 20 are not only completely ring-shaped so as to forma complete coupling between the sleeves and body of the garment but'a're preferably provided with no cross seams so that the material is, abletorstretchat all points in any direction. As a consequence of this the coupling members are preferablycut from tubular woven knitted type stock so that, before these members are sewn into a'shirt or other garment, they are cylindrical, as thecoupling member 20 appears in ,Fig. 1, with the exception of the extension 30, which is bent downwardlyI In this view the extension 31 extends out from thebody of the member 20 almost as a straight continuation. Where the coupling'members 20'are of. uniform width and cylindfical, the seams 26 and '28 are of substantially the 1 same length, and theyrmay be the same length in -Fig. 1,'with the exception. of the seam extensions 32tto' 34 used in securing the projecting'sections 30 and 31, which project from thering 'or body section of the coupling members 20.

ric material made with an elastic weave, such as the weave or fabric known'as Helenca. Other similar weaves; or fabrics may be used which are suitable for the purpose as specified herein. Furthermore, the coupling members, such as 20, may be the same color as the body of the shirt or other garment, or may comprise material of a contrasting or harmonizing color. In certain types of sports clothes, the coupling member maybe used to provide forthe desired freedom of movement and also be utilized as a decorative feature. Therefore, the edges of the'member 20 and the edges of the sleeve and garment to which they are sewn may be shaped other than. V

straight so long as a substantial width of elastic fabric,

for example from to 1 inches in width, is provided to give the desired freedom of movement between the sleeve and body of the garment, while being worn.

What I claim is: v A garment comprising a body portion, a sleeve havupwardly diverging edges formingIa V-shaped cut-out terminating at its attachment end, the body'portion'im eluding a relatively non-stretchable material defining a shoulder and armhole'structure, the front and .back,sec-

tions of the garment, being cut along downwardlyv converging lines to forma -V-shaped cut-out in the armhole structure at'the armpit, "and a couplingmember stretchable in all directions in the formof a ring, said coupling member havingintegral oppositely projecting 'V-shaped projections of substantially the same shapeLand size-as the V-shaped cut-outs in the sleeveand. body portion,

respectively, the edgesof said projections merging with theire'spective edges of the ring along smoothly converg ing lines, the opposite sides of the coupling-member being secured, respectively; to the attachment edge of the sleeve and the armhole section'of the body portion; the edges of the 'V-sh'aped sections being secured to the edges ofthe cut-out sections in the'sleeve and body. portion, 7

v respectively, portions of the ring and portions of the The coupling members for securing the sleeves to the tion'of appreciable stress, but is preferably a knitted fab projections at the armpit section extending 'into-the'front. '40

and back sections of the garment, the coupling member permittingunrestn'cted movement between the sleeve and t bodyof thegarment and freedom of movement'ofthe.

' shoulders of the wearer.

References Cited the file of this patent UN T S E PAT 1i 5 1,169,256 Grimm et al. Jan. 25,519'1e 1,973,419 'Trageser Sept, 11,1934 2,281,984 Martiny May 5,1942. 2,399,428 Daniel-s fApr. 30,1946,

i FOREIGN PATENTS f 5 I t 855,532 Germany s Nov; 13, 1952 1,064,240 France Dec.23,1953' 

